New patch measures tumor size
Marie Donlon | February 10, 2024Medical researchers and chemical engineers at National Tsing Hua University and Taipei Medical University, both in Taiwan, have created a skin patch capable of monitoring the size of a tumor just beneath the skin.
Such tumors, according to the researchers, are not removed due to a variety of medical reasons. Instead, they are often treated with drugs or radiation therapy while doctors monitor the tumor size to determine if the therapies are working via tests such as MRIs.
Preparation and working mechanism of DE stain sensor composed of TPU and HfO2 NPs that could undergo deformation in multiple directions as a response to tumor progression, leading to alterations in its electrical impedance. The DE strain sensor is integrated into a smartphone, enabling convenient tracking of the tumor size. Additionally, it remotely notifies health care professionals, facilitating the intervention through HfO2 NPs-based sonodynamic therapy. Source: ACS Nano (2024). DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c11346
The new approach for measuring tumors just underneath the skin involves application of a skin patch that can constantly monitor the tumor’s size via software that runs on a smartphone.
The skin patch is a stretchy sticker-like material composed of a soft plastic featuring nanoparticles of hafnium — which is a metal created by mixing silver and oxygen. The addition of hafnium, according to the researchers, enables the patch to function as a monitoring device.
When placed on the skin and over the tumor, the properties of the patch are affected by changes in the alignment of the nanoparticles and their electrical properties, thereby revealing the size of the tumor.
The patch was trialed on mice with rice-grain-sized tumors in the lab with the researchers determining that the patch could accurately track tumor sizes for up to a week.
The patch was detailed in the article, “Harnessing HfO2 Nanoparticles for Wearable Tumor Monitoring and Sonodynamic Therapy in Advancing Cancer Care,” which appears in the journal ACS Nano.